Black Marias is a really good oi-band from England and here they answered a lot of questions from me but in a way that the whole things becomes a story of their own…november 2014

We got together as a band in 2003 , original line up was MITCH VOCALS,JIMMY BASS, PHIL GUITAR, SPUD GUITAR and JOOLS DRUMS, Jools left the band early in 2013, and JAMES who was our 'dep' drummer at the time took over the sticks full time then.

 We all have very different tastes in bands but I suppose the british oi! scene and bands like the Cockney Rejects, Cock Sparrer, The Angelic Upstarts,the 4 skins have influenced our particular sound, but also with more of a Toy Dolls, Peter and the test tube babies attitude to it lyrically.

The biggest difference in playing back in the day to now is quite simply the audience age, in Britain the average age of our audience is probably around 45 years old , as you get older I think you become more closed in your musical taste almost blinkered by what captured you as a teenager like "nothing else compares" kind of attitude, which of course is complete and utter bollocks, anyone who was into that scene cannot deny the music that is coming out now that is influenced by that, bands like Rancid, Argy Bargy, Superyob that started a long time ago but are still writing and playing brilliant current songs and they  really dont get( in my opinion )the respect they deserve.

It is a different monster that’s being created in Germany, Sweden, France, Belgium Australia and even the USA now the bands coming out of these places now, really are the new breed . The best places we have played are always the biggest surprise, when we walk into a venue thinking you won’t have a good night , you won’t , we play gigs with a smile on our faces cause we are having fun doing what we do if the audience don’t get that, then they shouldn't bother coming to one of our shows.

In three words we would describe our music as music for bootwearers. Punk to us is absolutely a way of life we have lived it now for about 150 years between us.

We played in Stockholm at the psk pre gig a couple of years ago at Klubb antisocial , had a brilliant time , met some great people , heard some superb new bands and made some fantastic new friends. Favorite swedish bands are Agent Bulldog, Perkele, and the very under rated Old fashioned ideas.

Politics is something we try to avoid in our lyrical content, but sometimes you say things political without even knowing it is, so I suppose it does go hand in hand , but life in general is like that , we are working class that will never change and is political as it gets. Best politcal band ?, The CLASH, ,Artist ? Billy Bragg,,

MITCH, JIMMY and recently SPUD, all have inputs on the lyrics , MITCH wrote MAYDAY AT MCDONALDS, which is a tongue in cheek sideways look at the 2001 Mayday riots in London which was full of contradictions in its reasons ( against capitalism and consumerism) but ended in running battles with police, smashing Mcdonalds windows when most of the so called protesters came from middle class families that lived in middle England, they had a "jolly good day out"  I dont think any subject we have an opinion on should be off limits to write about, opinions are your own , no fucker has to agree with them. in a band then you have 4 other members to think about , but we are mates for more reasons than just the fact we are in a band together , therefore we have a lot of the same views and wouldn’t piss each other off by talking for them in a way you know they don’t feel the same.

MUSIC is life, it is emotive, certain songs will reignite the feelings you had when you first heard it, all through your life these songs will be and become your own personal soundtrack so listen to as much as you can! You cannot avoid it.

POINK records is based in Germany and got in touch with us to release our album a CLOCKWORK ARMY, they did everything they said they would and are an absolutely genuine diy label , for bands that are starting off , get in touch with them, send them a copy of your recordings ,work with them , and they will work with you.

The most surreal moment we had at a gig was when we played in New York's East Village, we got to the venue around 8pm and walked up the stairs to enter through double doors , carrying our guitars drums etc and we causally walk into the venue and ask where the manager was so we could get ready and set up, we were pointed in the direction of a giant of a man probably around 6ft 7 with an afro that was another 2ft tall, he had his back to us and I, (mitch) noticed he never had a shirt on, as we got closer to him , I hung back a bit, so SPUD was first to reach him, and said "hello mate , we are the BLACK MARIAS where do you want us to put our gear ?" , with this the manager turned around to , kind of face SPUD, his face was fully "made up" with cosmetics, blue sparkly eye shadow , bright red lip stick the full works, and to top it off he had the biggest pair of naked breasts pointing right into Spuds face I have ever seen, he told Spud we were playing downstairs in the cellar bar and pointed us in the right direction , Now later in the evening as the Punks and Skins arrived , about 30 or so were outside on the pavement having a smoke chatting etc, after a while a coach filled with tourists stopped and there was a frenzy of camera flashes coming through the window of the coach all were clambering to get the best picture they could of the Punks and Skinheads , a little bemused I turned my back and looked up at the window to see the Manager had pushed his tits up against it and two more of his staff in suitable attire doing the same either side of him !, it was at this time I realized the shock of punk really was dead.

5 favorite records of all time today , IF YOUR LOOKING FOR GLORY , ARGY BARGY, EVERYBODY'S WRONG EVERYBODY'S RIGHT, SHAM 69, BAD MAN, COCKNEY REJECTS, GLC, MENACE, BILLERICAY DICKIE , IAN DURY,

5 GIGS PUNK AND DISORDERLY , 2011, PSK 2012, FILTHY LUCRE AT FINSBURY PARK 1996, RANCID AT NOTTINGHAM ROCK CITY 2012,

Our next one 5 most important, television, hairstyle, what color underpants to wear, political views , religion and irony.